ONTOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ANGST

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the relationship between being and entity through the lens of ontological dependence, operating within the theoretical framework of hermeneutic ontological pluralism. Drawing on the distinction between existential and essential dependence, I argue that entities depend essen­tially on the determinations prescribed by their modes of being, while depending existentially on their component elements, which may have a different mode of being. By distinguishing between constitution and composition, I analyse ontological dependence in the specific case of the physiological conditioning of Angst. As Heidegger notes, while Angst is often triggered by physiological processes, this fact is ultimately conditioned by an essential determination of Dasein. I propose that analysing the relations of composition, constitution, and ontological dependence in the existential analytic of Being and Time reveals a complex, multidimensional architecture. The article concludes by suggesting new avenues of investigation into intermodal dependencies and the intersection of phenomenology and the affective sciences.

Keywords: Heidegger. Ontological dependence. Constitution. Composition. Angst.